The English word "memoir", it's to be noted, is derived from the French word “mémoire” (or “memory”). It stands for a written record of a person's knowledge of events or of a person's own experiences. So, here we go...bits of my personal experience from (numerous) past travels over the short (but fascinating) stretch of about 20 miles of Lake Shore Drive (aka U.S. Highway 41) in Chicago downtown, alongside Lake Michigan. You might recall from my previous post of the virtual flight from Louisville to Chicago, that I'd arrived at O'Hare (KORD) following the ILS Rwy 28R approach. My path, westward into the airport, from over Lake Michigan, had passed north of the main segment of the Chicago skyline. In the process, below my 747-8...🙂...I'd caught glimpse of the Lake Shore Drive, the famous expressway in Chicago, that runs north-south along Lake Michigan's shoreline. The Lake Shore Drive actually constitutes only about a 20 miles portion of the overall U.S. Highway 41 that runs for over 2,000 miles originating from (FL) Miami downtown all the way up north to the upper Michigan Peninsula.

Now, given a choice, I've always preferred driving on highways (and state routes) that hug the shorelines either of an ocean or a lake. For extended travel, such a choice of route, with glimpses of the vast bodies of water on one side, breaks the boredom of hours of driving on an otherwise monotonous Inter-state (in-land) Highway. For example, the California State Route 1 that runs along the Pacific coastline between San Diego and San Francisco (have driven this segment once), now comes to mind as a classic example that I'll never forget in life. Closer to home, I've travelled on State Routes leading up north to the Upper Michigan Peninsula, hugging the shorelines of Lake Michigan, either the western edge or the eastern edge of the lake (indeed, a most fascinating experience, with scenic vistas, lighthouses, small towns, and roadside "Mom & Pop" type restaurants with fresh catch of fish...🙂...from the lake etc.). 

Anyway, Lake Shore Drive is not one where you get to take your eyes off the road to enjoy the lakeside (or skyline) view. It's an extremely busy stretch of expressway carrying hundreds of thousands of travelers each day (nothing like the abjectly desolate and (ghastly) disjointed pieces of concrete roadway that I see in my (virtual) MSFS rendition of it). The (actual) road twists and turns following the contour of the lake, with massive skyscrapers rising (disconcertingly) above you on your left, as you drive north. While exactly on the bridge (shot # 16) where the Chicago River flows underneath the Lake Shore Drive to meet Lake Michigan, I have never been able to resist a (quick) view through my port side window, with due caution, of course...🙂..., of arguably the best view of the Chicago skyline that one could catch from the ground level.

Years ago, almost every weekend in summer/fall, typically on a Sunday, during the early morning hours, I would head for Lake Shore Drive, from the suburbs, often first visiting the Science Museum at the south end of Lake Shore Drive. The Museum has a few interesting aviation exhibits including an immaculately preserved United Airlines 727. In the cafeteria, I would (usually) get a breakfast of hash browns and omelet with a Coffee, while doing a bit of (quiet) reading, then saunter around the museum exhibits (well before the out-of-town tourists...🙂...arrive en-masse in downtown). Then, I would drive north on Lake Shore Drive, same as I am flying here (see my VFR Map route) aboard my United DC-3...🙂...past the skyline, all the way to south of Evanston, where the Lake Shore Drive leaves the lake shore, and drifts inland to again become (just) U.S. Highway 41. Around there, I would get some lunch in one of the ethnic restaurants, before heading homeward to meet, on the way, the dense traffic of cars and weekend travelers (thankfully) heading in opposite direction to mine, towards where I'd just come from...🙂...

There are many places on Lake Shore Drive where you can pull off the expressway to park your car and enjoy the beauty of Lake Michigan, so vast that it's almost indistinguishable from an ocean. While I would do so in a relatively crowd-free setting, to my delight, birds of many kinds (some rare types too) would be landing and taking off around me...🙂...before the joggers and bikers of the day move in on the lakefront trail. [Side Note: The Lake Shore Drive is a magnet for migratory birds e.g., a news bit from 8-hours ago today, "33 Million Birds Migrated Over Illinois In 1 Day This Week: How McCormick Place Is Trying To Keep Them Safe. After 1,000 birds collided into the building in one day last October 2023, McCormick Place started implementing bird-friendly measures. Wildlife advocates hope it can be an example for other Chicago buildings." BTW, McCormick Place is one of the largest convention centers (if not the largest) in North America, located on the Lake Shore Drive.]

Now, frankly, I was disappointed by MSFS (Xbox) rendition of the Chicago skyline (cannot speak for PC, though). I'd never examined it so closely before. I tried with both PG On and PG Off. With PG Off, the buildings (apparently) look sharper and realistic (see my shots below), but alas, they do not resemble the actual buildings e.g., Willis (Sears) Tower and Hancock Center look nothing like the real thing. And, if I turn PG On, they do resemble the actual buildings better, but alas, now with molten and malformed appearance. As a specific example, I point you to one specific high-rise building, I know well, the unmistakable 70-Storey "Lake Point Tower", the only skyscraper in downtown Chicago that's built east of Lake Shore Drive i.e., on the lake side (it's now forbidden to build so). Its tall curved (black) three wing 'Y' shape is quite unique and has been an inspiration for buildings in other parts of the world. While I would let you spot this (seclusive) building in most of my skyline shots after the shot #10 of Meigs Field, I also invite you to examine its pictures on-line. I have had chance once to visit an acquaintance on one of the uppermost floors of this building, when most of the upper floors was enveloped in low clouds (an eerie feeling). 

Examine my 2 pictures of "Lake Point Tower", shot #16 (PG Off) and shot #17 (PG On). You can easily see that the PG-Off version looks better, but it does not have the building's curved shape, nor does it appear black at all...! The PG-On version at least has the right (curved) shape and the black color. Just around this building, I would exit Lake Shore Drive, for Navy Pier, on which I've taken many morning walks to the tip of the Pier jutting out into the lake, and also, off which, I've taken (boat) cruises on the lake.

I hope you find this set of pictures, below, of the United (Douglas) DC-3 Mainliner, one of the United Classics of the 1930s, flying here (virtually) along Chicago's Lake Shore Drive, at the command of yours truly...🙂...

Hope you enjoy. Thanks for viewing...!

Edited September 28, 20241 yr by P_7878

Immersive...not just the pics but your memoir as well. 🙂 You've obviously filled to the brim your RL time in Chicago.

And yes, should I fly PG-ON or PG-OFF, that is always the question. 🙂 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 20241 yr by John F

Beautiful set, always nice to see the DC-3 in Action !

cheers 😉

Great set of shots! 😉 

John, pmplayer, Will:

Many thanks for the comments...!!